John Garratt: I’m familiar with the drill by this point — cultists and apologists insist that, when their favorite act releases new material, one must not gauge it against their old material. I think this is fair enough. U2 paid their dues a long time ago and are entitled to some critical peace (they can also stop feeling the need to ingratiate themselves to New York City). But try as I might, I simply can’t forget that time between 1991 and 1995 when the future seemed absurdly wide open for this band. Yes, “You’re the Best Thing About Me” is catchy and can get stuck in your brain. It’s also a band on autopilot. It’s vanilla ice cream with none of the toppings, which has been U2’s musical direction for the last 13 years. “The Fly” has been swatted away. “Zooropa” is now just a funny made-up word. “Your Blue Room” has been erroneously filed away as a b-side. What’s left is this, and it’ll likely be good enough for the cultists and apologists. [6/10]
Tristan Kneschke: At this point in their career, behemoth rockers U2 have played Madison Square Garden over two dozen times, yet still somehow approach a weekend romp in the Big Apple like they’re complete newcomers. Capturing the city’s major tourist attractions/traps (the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, the Empire State Building, double-decker buses, dollar pizza slices, souvenir shops), the video catches the band in just another mundane tourist diary. It wouldn’t have been difficult for the filmmakers to shoot in some more remarkable parts of the city, say the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, the Highline, or even Bedford Avenue — not to mention any one of dozens of pizzerias where New Yorkers actually eat. Instead, the band remains within the stomping grounds of the weekend bridge-and-tunnel crowd.
The song itself is a catchy earworm that burrows into the brain upon first listen, but it also inadvertently becomes a one-sided love song to the city. New York City is easily one of the planet’s extraordinary places, but declaring it to be the best aspect of America misses the point. For a packed, diverse, manic metropolis, it’s got you covered. But that’s not always what you want. At a time when America has been producing immense ugliness, there is still beauty everywhere within its borders. I’m not talking about just the cities either. A plethora of gorgeous places and fascinating people abound in the country. To focus on a single city, albeit an amazing one, feels misguided for the Dubliners. Sure, a cross-country video would have drastically changed the scope of this video, but this band can afford someone following them around for a week. [3/10]
Adriane Pontecorvo: Bookended by good and timely pro-immigrant sentiments is yet another generic U2 anthem that melds perfectly into their last few decades of mediocre singles. It’s ready for a few feel-good spins on adult contemporary radio and a few more stuck in everyone’s head before we all collectively forget about it. [3/10]
Steve Horowitz: It’s nice to see a band celebrate New York City; its kitsch culture, immigrant heritage and ethnic communities, but why oh why does it have to be a group from Ireland? The concept of NYC and what it represents being the best thing about America appeals to the heart. I too hear America singing, as the poets once put it, despite its inability to live up to its promises. The video shows U2 having fun in a fairly unpretentious, self-deprecating mode. It’s unclear whether the song was originally intended to be about the Big Apple or just worked as an allegory because of the general sentiments expressed — and it doesn’t really matter. The music flows with a simple melodic structure and uncomplicated lyrics. That keeps things moving and prevents the song from turning into a T-shirt slogan or come off as sloganeering. I love New York might say it more pithily, but in this time of political division, it’s beneficial to identify themes of freedom and difference in all their glory. [7/10]
William Nesbitt: Similar to, but not as good as, “Beautiful Day” or “Elevation” this first single from Songs of Experience bodes well, especially, if you aren’t a fan of Songs of Innocence. Around three minutes in, the band changes pace and threatens to jam out. Unfortunately, they pull back after about ten seconds and repeat the chorus. A love letter to New York. If you watch the video on silent, it could almost double as a travel advertisement for New York complete with plenty of footage of the Statue of Liberty, shots of various New York avenues, and brief frames of girlie joints. [7/10]
SCORE: 5.20